Lawn-mower.



W. M. POTTER.

LAWN MOWER.

APPLIOATIOH IILEgD APR. 16, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

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WWW) H51 V WITNESSES I .INVENTOR W. M. POTTER.

LAWN MOWER. APPLICATION IILED' APR. 16, 1909.

956,601 I Patented May 3, 1910.

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. I I Q (J l w E 9 k W ITN ESSES INVENTOR UN ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLQIAM M. POTTER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNDB 510 E. C. STEARNS :8: 00., l OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

LAWN-MOWER.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May .3, 1910.

Application filed April 16, mos. Senlal no. 400,395.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. POTTER, citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga,

in the State of New York, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements in Lawn- Mowers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention applies to rotary lawn mowers such as are commonly employed for trimming lawns.

' The invention consists of a construction in which the rotary cutter is driven by gearing from one end only, the other end being journaled into a thin, flat plate the lower edge of which is kept level and free from the ground by a supporting wheel running ahead of the cutter and a roller running behind. l urthermore, the construction permits building the machine wide enough to do the service of aregular lawn mower as well as that of a trimmer.

The objects of my invention are to providea simple, cheap and practical machine which will trim up close around obstructions as well as efficiently cutting the remainder of the lawn, and to produce a construction which will permit the use of a driving wheel on one end only by providing suitable means for keeping the other end in its correct relative position with the ground.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of'my mower showing the relation of the late B and the supporting wheel D to the ot er parts. Fig.

2 is a perspective view of the mower in operation in a place not accessible to a common mower. Fig. 3 is a portion of the mower roken away to more clearly show the driving mechanism.

The frame or stationary part of my mower consists of a thin, flat plate B and a side piece F connected-by the tie rod Gr.- Journaled into the plate B at one end and into the side piece F at the other is. the shaft H upon which the spiders J, carryingthe rotating knives C, are immovably fastened. The stationaryknife E extends transversely across the mower and is'attached at one. end to the flat plate B and at the'ot-her end to the side piece Fin such a position that its At the other side of the lan view showing a' meshes with the small pinion S loosely mounted on the shaft H and driving it in one direction only by means of the dog T. mower frame the supporting wheel D is jou'rnaled to the plate B slightly ahead of the rotating knives and the tie rod G. The roller I extends across the rear of the machine and naled ateach end into the frame.

In operating themower around obstructions it'is pushed in such a direction that the flat side is kept next the obstruction. The knives rotate so close to the plate and the plate? is so thin no grass escapes cutting. The wheel D in front and the roller I behind keep the stationary knife always at the correct distance from the ground even when the ground is uneven. Also the operator can by either raising or depressing .the handle lift the cutting knives from the ground and pass over roots, stones or other obstructions. In trimmmg around a sidewalk the advantage of having both the wheel is freely jour- D and the roller I is particularly noticeable.

The plate B moves about even with the edge of the sidewalk, but the wheel D being nearer the center .of the mower runs on the grass and keeps the knives from digging into the ground even though there be a considerable ditch around the walk.- The roller supports the rear as in ordinary mowers. The wheel D is narrow enough not to mat down the grass to any great extent.

Having thus described my invention" I claimas new and desire to Patent:

I 1. In a lawn mower, a casin -plate arranged on one side of the machlne, a thin plate arranged on the op osite side and a tie-rod connecting said p ates, said plates and tie rod forming the frame, and in comsecure by Letters bination therewith a single drive wheel journaled on the casing plate, a fixed knife supported on the frame. a shaft journaledbe tween the plates, a ball-bearing for the shaft,

curved knives fixed on the shaft, operative connections between the drive-wheel and the I shaft, a roller journaled between the plates at the rear of the machine, and a supporting guide wheel journaled in the thin plate at. the front of the machine.

2. In a lawn mower, the-combinationwith I a casing-plate arranged on one side of the machine, a thin plate arranged on the oppo-' site side and a tie rod connecting said plates,

of a single drive wheel journaled on the cas- 1 wheel being arranged on the inner face of 10 ing plate, a fixed knife supported between the thin plate, substantially as shown.

the plates, a rotary cutter journaled between In testimony whereof I sign my name in the plates, operative connections between the the presence of two witnesses.

drive-wheel and the cutter, an elongated W M POTTER roller journaled between the plates at the rear of the machine, and a supporting guide Witnesses: 4

wheel journaled in the thin plate at the WALTER A. PAPWORTH,

front of the machine, said supporting guide W. P. HALL. 

